In an article published in the Orange County Weekly, described what could be considered a trend, a startling one if at all, of young undocumented immigrants marrying citizens to fix their immigrant status.
With immigration reform stalled and the lives of many DREAMers in limbo, many young immigrants are vying for marriage as their only route to fix their immigration status. The cases vary, some marry their college sweetheart after a prolonged courtship, others marry specifically to fix their status with a friend or someone they‘ve entrusted, and others marry the first person willing to go through with the ordeal of a fraud marriage, even if it means a payment of sorts would be part of it. All with the same end in mind; to fix their status and alleviate themselves.
The article mentioned above cites the plight of young immigrants, (some students, some not) that have taken the last resort in order to help themselves. It is a story that’s been too common in the realm of immigration, the undocumented immigrant who marries a citizen with the intent of fooling immigration officials and attaining
Trying to get ahead, some of these young immigrants have no path to legalization. The state of limbo is overwhelming especially for those who’ve attained a degree and are expectant of utilizing it. They are stuck in limbo because their future is placed on hold and await a passage of immigration reform or the help of an employer that may never ever come. For many, especially those with college degrees who want to enter into the workforce and utilize their degree, it is the only way to do so. (The following analogy was borrowed) Think of it this way; you call up your phone company to discuss some matters of your phone plan or your phone bill and the person on the other line puts you on hold, well in the case of these young undocumented immigrants it’s similar except that one is placed on hold indefinitely and it’s your life, not your phone plan at stake.
The process for obtaining a green card through marriage are also exemplified in the article. For starters, it can be extraordinarily hard to convince U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that your marriage is truly based on a real and bona fide relationship. The immigration authorities will be expecting the married couple to produce extensive documentary evidence that both have a shared life that involves love and companionship and that your relationship is not just a sham to obtain permanent residency.
The risks for entering into a fraud marriage and trying to fool immigration officials is high. The person being petitioned for will face deportation proceedings should the marriage be deemed as fraudulent.
The article mentioned above cites the plight of young immigrants, (some students, some not) that have taken the last resort in order to help themselves. It is a story that’s been too common in the realm of immigration, the undocumented immigrant who marries a citizen with the intent of fooling immigration officials and attaining
permanent residency. It is perhaps the only way to achieve a path for citizenship for the countless young immigrants, those who would potentially qualify for the DREAM Act, should it ever pass, can wait no longer.
Trying to get ahead, some of these young immigrants have no path to legalization. The state of limbo is overwhelming especially for those who’ve attained a degree and are expectant of utilizing it. They are stuck in limbo because their future is placed on hold and await a passage of immigration reform or the help of an employer that may never ever come. For many, especially those with college degrees who want to enter into the workforce and utilize their degree, it is the only way to do so. (The following analogy was borrowed) Think of it this way; you call up your phone company to discuss some matters of your phone plan or your phone bill and the person on the other line puts you on hold, well in the case of these young undocumented immigrants it’s similar except that one is placed on hold indefinitely and it’s your life, not your phone plan at stake.
The process for obtaining a green card through marriage are also exemplified in the article. For starters, it can be extraordinarily hard to convince U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that your marriage is truly based on a real and bona fide relationship. The immigration authorities will be expecting the married couple to produce extensive documentary evidence that both have a shared life that involves love and companionship and that your relationship is not just a sham to obtain permanent residency.
The risks for entering into a fraud marriage and trying to fool immigration officials is high. The person being petitioned for will face deportation proceedings should the marriage be deemed as fraudulent.
Immigration reform has been put on the back burner by the Obama Administration. The push for the closure and militarization of the border coupled with a growing anti-immigrant movement paints a bleak picture for any immigration reform, and for a lot of these young immigrants marrying to fix their status, it becomes the last and maybe only chance to have a better future.
- fher
- fher
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